AnaiRhoads.org - Koalas have always been a profitable
tourist attraction in Southern Australia, but recently some have declared
all out war on the docile marsupials.

Due to a steady rise in the koala population, officials
are seeking to cull at least 20,000 of them. The overpopulation of the
marsupials has significantly weakened Kangaroo Island's ecosystem, leaving
the majority of the animals starving to death.

An individual koala eats roughly 200 to 500 grams of
Eucalyptus leaves on a daily basis. Due to the food demand and numbers of
koalas, the island is nearly cleared of its native gum trees. The koalas
will slowly starve to death without government intervention.

"While they may be cute and cuddly we need to get beyond
emotion to reality, my suggestion is professional shooters do it quickly
and cleanly," Sandra Kanck from the Australian Democrat Party told Reuters
on Friday.

However, the South Australian state government disagrees
with this action and is requesting the koalas be sterilised and relocated
appropriately until the population has lowered.

In 1996, the government called for a cull of 2,000
koalas when the population only hovered around 5,000. The public outcry
prevented the cull from being carried through.

This controversial measure is expected to affect tourism
and the country's reputation overall.